Molokai dialect
| Molokaʻi Dialect | |
|---|---|
| Te Reo Morotaʻi | |
| Pronunciation | [tɛˈɾɛo moˈɾoˈtəʔi] |
| Native to | Hawaiian Islands |
| Region | Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi |
| Ethnicity | Native Hawaiians |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
 The dialect is native to Molokaʻi (dark red), and a significant Molokaʻi diaspora lives in Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi island (light red) | |
The Molokaʻi Dialect (Standard Hawaiian: ʻŌlelo Molokaʻi, Molokaʻi Dialect: Te Reo Morotaʻi, lit. "Molokaʻi Language") is a rare dialect of the Hawaiian language spoken on Molokaʻi. With a substantial number of speakers living on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.[1]
Origin
[edit]The Austronesian languages, which are spoken throughout Oceania, Southeast Asia, and other regions of the world, include the Hawaiian language and its dialects (such as Niʻihau and Molokaʻi).[2] In particular, it is a member of the Polynesian subbranch, which also contains languages like Marquesan, Samoan, Tongan, and Tahitian.[3]
Phonology
[edit]Consonant
[edit]| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||
| Plosive | p | k ~ t | ʔ | |
| Fricative | w ~ v | h | ||
| Sonorant | l ~ ɾ | |||
Like the Niʻihau Dialect, this dialect uses the letter "t" and "r". But, the letter "k" is more common due to being very close to the Big Island which uses the letter "k" commonly. [citation needed]
Vowels
[edit]Like the Hawaiian taught in universities, Te Reo Morotaʻi has five short and long vowels, and diphthongs.
| Short | Long | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Back | Front | Back | |
| Close | i | u | iː | uː |
| Mid | ɛ ~ e | o | eː | oː |
| Open | a ~ ɐ ~ ə | aː | ||
Dipthongs
[edit]| Short Dipthongs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ending with /u/ | Ending with /i/ | Ending with /o/ | Ending with /e/ | |
| Starting with /i/ | iu | |||
| Starting with /o/ | ou | oi | ||
| Starting with /e/ | eu | ei | ||
| Starting with /a/ | au | ai | ao | ae |
Short-vowel diphthongs include /iu, ou, oi, eu, ei, au, ai, ao, ae/. These are all falling diphthongs, with the exception of perhaps /iu/. However, they are not as firmly connected as English diphthongs and may be classified as vowel sequences. (The second vowel in such sequences may get stress, but it is not considered a diphthong.) In quick speech, /ai/ tends to [ei] and /au/ tends to [ou], hence these diphthongs are conflated with /ei/ and /ou/.
Some writers consider the following sequences as diphthongs: /oːu, eːi, aːu, aːi, aːo, aːe/. There are just a few vowels that can come after long vowels.
| Long Dipthongs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ending with /u/ | Ending with /i/ | Ending with /o/ | Ending with /e/ | |
| Starting with /o/ | oːu | |||
| Starting with /e/ | eːi | |||
| Starting with /a/ | aːu | aːi | aːo | aːe |
Words and Examples
[edit]| English | Standard Hawaiian | Molokaʻi Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| Good | Maikaʻi | Maitaʻi |
| Rare | Kakaʻikahi | Kataʻikahi |
| Same | Like | Rike |
| This | Kēia | Tēia (Tēa) |
| Want | Makemake | Matemate |
| No | ʻAʻole | Taʻore |
| I, Me | Koʻu | Toʻu |
| to listen | Hoʻolohe | Tohorohe |
| Stand up | Kū | Tū |
| Sleep | Moe | Mohe |
| Awake | Ala | Ara |
| Run | Holo | Horo |
| Dodge | Hala | ʻAro |
Examples:
[edit]| English | Standard Hawaiian | Molokaʻi Dialect |
|---|---|---|
| It was good | Ua maikaʻi nui | Tua maitaʻi nui |
| in the same time | i ka manawa like | i ta manawa rike |
Reference
[edit]- ^ "Hawaiian: Ethnologue".
- ^ Nathan, Geoffrey S. (1973). "Nauruan in the Austronesian Language Family". Oceanic Linguistics. 12 (1/2): 479. doi:10.2307/3622864. ISSN 0029-8115.
- ^ ""Polynesian languages": Encyclopedia Britannica".